Old-school Greenville Tech builds winner from the playground up

Greenville Tech coach Clay Breazeale, right, talks with senior guard C.J. Moore during the Warriors' 56-40 win over Brashier Middle College Tuesday night at the Sterling School gym.(Photo: DAVID GROOMS)

Most kids start playing basketball on the blacktop of their local park or elementary school. It is rare to find a high school team that develops its game using the same methodology.

Greenville Tech Charter High School senior C.J. Moore reflected on the origins of the Warriors’ recent hardwood success after leading led his team to a 56-40 win over Brashier Middle College Tuesday night at the Sterling School.

“We have come a very long way since freshman year,” said Moore, who scored a game-high 17 points. “We don’t have our own gym, so we have had to practice anywhere we can. We have practiced on blacktops to get better.”

“We came from nothing,” Moore said. “We are trying to get to the top. We don’t need the luxuries that other teams have. We know who we are.”

The Warriors (14-5, 8-1 in Region 2-AA) won their first conference championship in school history a year ago and will face Southside Christian Thursday night with the opportunity to win another title.

“Once people started hearing that we beat Southside Christian and Abbeville, a lot of fans started to check us out,” Paez said. “Our teachers have been our biggest supporters. To see that they care is really great.”

Breazeale does not have the typical deep bench, so his players see a lot of minutes.

“We don’t have a choice when it comes to buy in,” Breazeale said. “If we are going to succeed, we have to work hard. We don’t have the numbers that these other schools have, so, if we want to win, the kids have to work extremely hard.”

Working hard has become a custom for Greenville Tech. However, patience is still a work in progress.

“We try to work on our patience,” Breazeale said. “But we try to do exactly what we do. We really work hard on those little things.”

Throughout the Warriors’ win over the Bengals, Greenville Tech went on scoring sprees that were unmatched due to its overwhelming athletic ability and speed. However, the Warriors would then match that burst with several turnovers.

For Paez, it is not necessarily patience, but a focus on the task at hand that is mandatory.

“We can’t relax,” Paez said. “We have eight players, and we are undersized. We cannot chill. We have to be in attack mode all the time. We cannot chill.”

Ultimately, the hard-work mentality is what Breazeale is going for.

“This has been a work in progress,” Breazeale said. “It is helping younger kids know where they want to be. They are seeing that you have to work hard if you want to make it to the next level.”

Trayvon Jones and Lamar Turman each scored nine points to lead the Bengals (8-14, 2-7) .

Tuesday night’s game was not only Senior Night, but also the conclusion of Greenville Tech’s Spirit Week where it raised $8,065 for charity.

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